Bad Pasta
by Super Sister
Summary: Kiku and Arthur trade rooms. AU. May be upsetting. No pairings.
1. Prologue

"… Feli… Please pull me out…" a young boy begged from behind a mirror. The boy, named Luciano, was stuck in a non-existent world, unable to touch or feel. Tears streaked down his chin, his purple eyes focusing on the boy opposite him. His only hope of getting to the other side was if his counterpart Feliciano pulled him over into the real world. But Feliciano, a boy of equal age and looks, was hesitant.

Luciano… Luciano had tricked him once before and that had ended nasty. Really nasty. One of Feliciano's friends had gone to sleep forever because of Luciano. However, despite such a loss… Feliciano couldn't hate him. Luciano had always been there for him. He looked after him, protected him from bullies... He had even helped him smile in bleak moments and kept boredom far, far away.

Luciano was like a guardian angel and a big brother, all rolled up into one.

And according to Luciano, because Feliciano was growing up, the connection between the two would soon be lost forever. They would never see or hear or talk to each other ever again.

The thought of not having Luciano around was unbearable.

But… Luciano was…

He was also mean. And cruel. And dangerous. Feliciano's grandpa had warned him never to go near anything or anyone dangerous. And Luciano was! He hurt people and didn't care for anyone at all! Sometimes, Feliciano wondered if Luciano even cared about him.

Feliciano sniffled.

The only way to save Luciano, to not lose him, was to bring him into the real world… But… Feliciano wasn't sure if that was a good idea.

"I-I'm sorry Luciano… B-but letting you in here… It… I can't! You're dangerous! You hurt people! I-I don't want to not see you ever again, but… But I don't want anyone hurt because you're here! I-I'm really sorry Angelo…"

"W-wait! Feli! Come back! No! Don't go! Please don't leave me here! Please don't! Feliciano! Feliciano, please come back! Feliciano!"

"… I-I'm s-sorry Luciano… I… I really am…"

Feliciano left the mirror untouched.


	2. Chapter 1 - Car Crash

It was getting dark out. The sun was setting in the west, despite it not even being eight yet. This was why Lovino hated winter. He loved warm, sunny days, especially long ones. But winter was approaching fast and the days were growing colder and shorter. He hated the shortness. And the cold.

He really, really hated that.

It made him grouchier than usual.

"Are we there yet?" he asked, bored, staring out the window. Antonio shook his head, his eyes focused on the road ahead of him.

"Nope, but we will be soon!" he said cheerily. Lovino huffed out, annoyed.

"Damn it, that's what you said half an hour ago!"

Antonio paused and thought this new piece of information over.

"Huh. So I did. Fancy that, huh? I was wrong!"

"Yeah, because that never happens." Lovino replied sarcastically. "Damn it, why's time so slow…" he mumbled, frowning. Antonio, who had somehow heard and understood him, shrugged. They fell into silence again, as they steadily drove up the mountain.

Lovino hated the World Academy. It was so far away from anywhere, and, of all places, up in the Alps! As if winter itself wasn't bad enough. They had to live through the cold season up in the fucking mountains, of all places! Sometimes Lovino really hated his mother and father for sending him up there. Sure, he got to see his "long lost twin" again, but that did not make up for the below-zero temperatures! Besides, World Academy was full of either idiots or snobs. The only guy who was reasonably ok was his brother and even that was pushing it.

At least snow hadn't arrived yet. Lovino could not stand snow. His brother practically revelled in it, but Lovino, as the twin that grew up in south Italy, could not see the joy in it. All it did was make driving nearly impossible.

Not only that, but when snow arrived at World Academy, leaving any building at any time was a silent agreement to join a violent snowball fight, no, snowball _brawl_ and thusly be pelted with snow- and occasionally even iceballs, so that by the time you were indoors again, you were a walking and possibly even slightly bruised snowman.

And of course, the ones who organised such idiotic snowball brawls were the idiots of World Academy. He swore that with every new generation of students, the levels of stupidity at World Academy ten folded.

Then again, it wasn't really only the new generation of students that had really been bugging the southern Italian lately. It was those two newcomers Ludwig and his older brother Gilbert. The two had come to the school two years ago and Lovino still couldn't stand either of them, at all.

They both hogged time with the only people Lovino could tolerate, namely Antonio and Feliciano. Feli was practically always hanging out with Ludwig, often leaving Lovino behind, while Gilbert nearly always tricked Antonio into spending time with him and that French pervert Francis. Lovino had been spending more and more time alone lately.

Well, not really. He spent an increasing amount of time with Maria and her friends. The girls at World Academy were far more tolerable than the guys but… Lovino was so terrible with girls. Well no, he was quite a natural with them, much like Feliciano, but if he had to constantly spend time with them, like, hanging out, he didn't know what to do! Constant flirting was out of the question and treating them like they were one of the guys was too! Often, he would just sit with them, staring at his feet in absolute silence, not even verbally responding to any questions they posed to him.

Luckily for him, the girls actually liked this about him and appreciated him being with them. They assumed that his silence meant that he was listening to them properly, unlike so many other guys at World Academy, who often simply had the girls' chatter swoop in, over their heads. If those poor girls only knew the truth about Lovino Vargas, that he not only wasn't really listening to them, but also that he was silently contemplating what he would have for dinner.

"Oh my go-" Antonio suddenly shrieked. Lovino's eyes shot up, just in time to glimpse someone strikingly familiar in front of the car, for maybe a split-second or so, before Antonio quickly steered out of the way, swerving so he wouldn't hit the person.

Success. They managed to avoid running him over. With relief, Lovino let out a breath of air, before he immediately paled again.

Antonio had steered right into the path of a solid rock wall.

* * *

That same evening, at the World Academy, a Japanese exchange student, by the name of Kiku Honda, was on a wild-goose chase through half the school, in search of the Student Council President, Arthur Kirkland. Arthur, a son of some rich, British author, who had too many sons to deal with, was probably one of the most annoying, mean people you could possibly ever meet. He wasn't annoying in the sense of loud or obnoxious, but annoying in the sense of being a bit of a know-it-all, overly sarcastic, arrogant, sadistic and snobby.

Of course, if you boiled him down a bit and gave him a chance, much like Kiku had, you would find that under the nasty exterior, Arthur was really quite a nice guy. But unfortunately for Arthur, very few people actually ever bothered getting to know this particular loner, due to him being so absurdly difficult to deal with. Ironically, Arthur really hated being alone, but because of his inability to drop his rather defensive and untrusting personality, no one really wanted to spend time with him and he was thusly quite unpopular.

And it was due to this particular unpopularity that it was nearly always impossible to ever find him, especially when you wanted to. If Arthur wasn't in his room, his office or the library, practically no one knew where he was. Even after nearly a year, Kiku had no clue where to find the Brit. And he was one of Arthur's _friends_.

Kiku entered the entertainment hut. He hardly thought Arthur would go in to it, seeing as the guy was uncomfortable socialising, but Kiku was slowly reaching the end of his patience and would soon get frustrated if he didn't find him. Upon entering the building, the first thing he saw, as per usual, was the large billiard table to the left and, to the right, table tennis.

He saw that Francis and Gilbert, two older students, were playing a game of billiards, with Monique, Francis' younger sister, watching as their only spectator. Alfred, Alfred's brother what's-his-name, Elizaveta and Maria were playing a match of table tennis. Alfred had probably insulted the opposite gender once again and had thus been wrung into a match, in which the two genders battled each other viciously. Knowing Elizaveta's heated personality, the girls would probably win. Sighing, Kiku walked over to the billiards table, not wanting to get involved in such a conflict. Gilbert noticed him coming over.

"Hey there, it's my favourite Japanese guy!" he greeted, grinning. Kiku gave a sharp nod in reply. He was actually a bit uncomfortable around Francis and Gilbert, due to them both belonging to the louder group of teens, who were a bit... Well… To say the least, they clashed with his culture.

"You come to watch the awesome me beat this Frenchie in the only awesome way possible?" Gilbert asked.

"Shut up Gil, I need concentration." Francis hissed, as he tried to focus on the white ball in front of him.

"Ah, quit the whining Francy pants, it's not like you'll owe me not one, not two, but three drinks after this!"

"Sorry Gilbert, but I must agree with Francis on this. He stays quiet during your turn. It is only fair that you stay quiet during his." Monique said, sticking up for her brother. Gilbert frowned and looked over to her, about to snap a retort, until he saw her steady look. He sighed.

"Fine, whatever." he said, turning back to Kiku.

"So, you going to watch or not? I promise you it'll be _awesome_!"

"Shush!" both Francis and Monique snapped. Gilbert remained unfazed by the two. Kiku shrunk back a bit. He smiled wearily and politely shook his head.

"I would love to watch, but I have some important matters to deal with first. I only wish to know if you know where Arthur-san is." Kiku replied. Gilbert at first stared at him blankly, before his face scrunched up into one of confusion.

"Eh?" he asked. "You mean Brows?"

Brows; a nickname for Arthur. Everyone was familiar with his awkwardly thick eyebrows and his sensitivity of said matter. To say the least, the name became very popular very quickly.

"Hai- Yes."

"Huh. Why d'you want to find Brows of all people?"

"I need to ask him a favour." Kiku replied, not really wanting to reveal the information. He wanted to keep this a quiet matter, between Arthur, Ludwig, Feliciano and himself. Well, mostly to himself. He didn't want Ludwig or Feliciano finding out the truth, or it would hurt their feelings. Also, he couldn't tell Arthur, or he would probably hold a lower opinion of Kiku...

"Oh. Well, sorry buddy, but I can't help you there. Don't really hangout with him, he's kinda annoying, y'know?"

This was ironic, coming from Gilbert. Very few could handle the German, because he was one of the most annoying guys at school. Really, the title of most annoying was shared between Gilbert and Alfred, but the two, luckily or unluckily, remained completely unaware of this fact.

"Oh. Francis-san?" Kiku asked, turning his attention to the French teen. Francis didn't reply. Instead, he took his shot and potted the green and purple ball at the same time.

"Nice hit." Monique commented.

"Merci." Francis replied, smiling smugly at Gilbert. The German said nothing. He simply glared. Francis turned his attention to Kiku.

"Sorry chère, but I don't know where he is. I admit, I spend some time with rosbif now and then, but that's usually during school hours. Outside I prefer spending time with my real amis, you know?"

"I see." Kiku replied.

"Have you already checked the library? His office? His room?"

"Hai- er, yes. I have." Kiku replied.

"How about Peter, his petit frère?" Francis continued. Kiku shook his head again. He had already asked Peter. The boy had simply replied that he hadn't seen "Jerkthur", Peter's special name for his brother, since lunch.

"Sorry then, I don't know where he is or could be." Francis finally said, giving up. Kiku sighed.

"Well… Thank you for your time then."

"Kein Problem!" Gilbert replied grinning, turning back to the billiard table to lean in for a shot. Francis pushed him back.

"It's still my turn, I potted, remember?"

"Oh come on, you're winning anyway!" Gilbert whined.

Kiku left the three and walked over to the other four in the room. He decided to wait, until one of the teams scored a point. To his luck, this happened relatively quickly.

"Eight-nil for the girls!" Elizaveta said, proudly.

"Come on Mattie, we can still beat them." Alfred said, turning to his twin. Mattie gave out a reluctant sigh.

"E-excuse me." Kiku said, speaking up. The four turned to look at him. This made him uncomfortable.

"Yo, Kiku!" Alfred said. "You come to checkout us guys beating the girls? We're totally winning!"

"For the record Al, at the moment, we're winning. If Maria and I win this round, you are my loyal servant for a week, starting Monday."

Alfred pouted.

"Round wise, we're winning."

"Round wise, it's one all." Elizaveta corrected. Alfred continued to pout.

"I would love to watch this match, but I have some important matters to tend to first." Kiku said, turning down the offer of watching Alfred possibly lose badly to Elizaveta.

"Oh. Too bad." Alfred muttered, a bit disappointed. The American could use someone to cheer for him. It'd make him feel more confident and thus help him win the game.

"I would like to know if any of you have seen Arthur."

"You mean Brows?" Elizaveta asked. Kiku nodded.

"Why, what d'ya want with him?" Alfred asked. It had always confused him that Kiku and Arthur had somehow become friends. It just seemed so unlikely to him.

"I just need to ask him a favour. I guess you haven't seen him?"

"Sorry, no." Maria said, shaking her head.

"I haven't seen him either." Elizaveta said, apologetically.

"Nope. Haven't seen Brows for a while…" Alfred replied.

"Oh. Well, thank you for your time." Kiku said, growing a little frustrated. Where was that Brit?

Kiku walked off, further into the Entertainment hut. Oh, if that Brit wasn't in there…

Behind him, Mattie let out a somewhat depressed sigh. How did he always end up overlooked?

* * *

Kiku left the hut, disappointed. No Arthur had been in there. Well actually, Arthur Smith had been there, but not Arthur _Kirkland_. He walked down the steps of the hut onto the path, which lead back to the main buildings. Kiku contemplated the idea of putting a tag on Arthur, so that he could find him more easily and quicker in future, but that may be a bit of an intrusion on his privacy and should anyone find out about it, could easily be abused. Arthur was rather accustomed to being alone and so, if anyone disturbed him during his "lone time", he would get rather annoyed, sometimes even aggressive, relatively quickly.

During Kiku's contemplations, he noticed a shadowy figure entering the campus through the gate. Suspicious, Kiku snuck up to the person, to discover that it was Arthur, the Arthur he was looking for. What was he doing off campus?

"Arthur-san!" Kiku called out. Arthur turned to him, looking a little panicked.

"O-oh! Kiku, I didn't see you there!" Arthur said, quickly closing the gate behind him. "S-so what are you doing here, this fine evening?"

The Brit smiled nervously.

"Were you outside campus? After eight?" Kiku asked, suspiciously. He wasn't one to intrude, however, Arthur was also not usually one to be outside campus after eight…

"What? Don't be ridiculous, I'd never be out and about after eight! Why, that would be breaking the school rules!"

"… Then why are you covered in earth with grass stains on your trousers?" Kiku asked. Arthur looked at himself and flinched. Obviously, the Brit had forgotten that he wasn't quite as clean and neat as he usually was.

"OK, I went to the forest." Arthur finally admitted. "I was with my fr- some special creatures."

"At night?"

"Actually, it was still day when I went out…" Arthur replied, smiling nervously again. Kiku sighed deeply, shaking his head. This Brit was so strange sometimes… Then again, Kiku had quickly learnt that all students at World Academy were weird (or maybe it was just their foreign culture, who knows?)

"Please don't tell anyone that I… occasionally break the school rules too!" Arthur begged, looking a bit embarrassed. Kiku nodded. There was no point in not keeping the secret, other than to make Arthur even more disliked. And as one of Arthur's few friends, Kiku didn't want that.

"Ah! Thanks Kiku!" Arthur said, smiling brightly. It was a rare expression on his face. Kiku had to smile in response.

"So uh… I'll be heading back to the dorms…" Arthur said, walking off. Kiku quickly ran after him.

"Wait Arthur! I need to ask you a favour." Kiku said, catching up to him.

"Oh? What?"

"As you know, because I was ill recently, I've missed out on some important exams, which I will have to write next week."

"Yes, I know. Where are you going with this…?" Arthur asked.

"I just want to know if we could… You know… Maybe trade beds for a few nights?"

"Huh? You mean like, I sleep in your room and you in mine?"

"Hai- yes."

"… Why?"

"Well, you are the only student to have a room all to yourself. Not even the girl dorms have a room with only one single bed. During the time of these exams, everyone went to bed early and was quiet in the evenings. But now that they're over, everyone will resume their normal volume and return to going to bed late. Everyone but me, who still needs to write those exams. Unfortunately, Ludwig and Feliciano are… They're not very quiet at night. Well, if I was only sharing a room with Ludwig, it'd be quiet, so it's really Feliciano that makes noise. Since I need peace and quiet for the exams… I thought maybe you would make the small exchange? Just for a few nights, until I've written the exams!"

Arthur stared at Kiku blankly for a moment. _Oh dear, I don't think he'll agree_… Kiku thought, worried.

"… Changing rooms is against school rules…" Arthur started slowly.

"Yes, but there are only two rooms on the top floor, namely mine and yours. No one would know if you changed rooms with me. Well, apart from Feliciano and Ludwig, but they're understanding. They won't tell anyone"

"Yeah, but…" This wasn't going well. Kiku really, really wanted a week of peace and quiet. It looked like he would have to use that newly acquired information about Arthur.

"… You did kind of also break the school rules already…" Kiku said, nervously. He didn't like doing this, but as said, he really, really wanted those nights of peace and quiet.

"… Fine. Sure. I guess no one will know… But, uh… Are Ludwig and Feliciano OK with this?"

"They will be, don't worry." Kiku replied, smiling. Arthur smiled back. The Brit was quite happy to help a friend. Kiku was pleased. He had been looking for a reason to trade rooms with Arthur for an eternity. He could not bear sharing a room at all, even with two of his closest friends. Kiku was really, really happy and looking forward to those few precious nights of heaven.

* * *

**Maria = Belgium**

**Monique = Monaco**


	3. Chapter 2 - Stairs

Monday was not normal. It did not go to anyone's plan.

Feliciano noticed that his brother wasn't in class. Gilbert and Francis noticed that Antonio never went to bed. Shortly afterwards, people realised that Antonio's car was missing from its usual spot. Towards lunch, the site of the car crash was discovered.

Antonio and Lovino were dead.

After that, lessons were, for most classes, cancelled. The police said that the car had swerved; suggesting Antonio had been trying to avoid crashing into something on the road, probably a deer.

This did not make anyone any happier.

The day was swiftly over.

Kiku hadn't written his exams.

Arthur had to sleep in Ludwig and Feliciano's room.

Again.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since the accident. Feliciano appeared to have returned to normal, but naturally, when night came, it was fairly obvious that he was still deeply upset over the loss. Ludwig, Kiku and, surprisingly, Arthur tried to help him when night came; but really, time was the only cure for this.

After the accident, Ludwig thought that Kiku would switch beds with Arthur again, so that he could be there for Feliciano. He was wrong.

Kiku _was_ there for Feliciano when night came, but his Japanese friend always eventually went back, across the hall, to Arthur's room. There was always a reason why Kiku couldn't switch back to his usual bed yet. It was sort of… suspicious…

However, Arthur wasn't complaining. In fact, he didn't seem to really mind at all. If Ludwig didn't know any better, he'd say that Arthur quite liked sharing a room…

Well, at least Arthur admitted that he also thought that this whole situation was sort of awkward, what with the vulnerable state everyone was in. While Lovino wasn't really that popular, he also wasn't _that_ unpopular and his loss was still something to weigh heavy on most souls.

Besides that, Antonio had also been a friend of many, meaning that, even if some remained unaffected by Lovino's death, they wouldn't be over the Spaniard's. Everyone was shocked by the events, to say the least.

Gilbert had become distant from his brother. He and Antonio had been very good friends, heck, Gilbert, Antonio and Francis had formed the now literally _legendary_ group, the Bad Touch Trio, known for causing mayhem at World Academy and getting the student council (particularly its president) and teachers' knickers' in a twist, twenty-four hours a day, around the clock…

Now it was just the Bad Touch Duo. And apparently, all they did was drink and laze around. He hoped the Bad Touch would get back to their old tricks again soon… The sooner things returned to normal, the better. Besides, if they carried on drinking, they'd get kicked out eventually, no matter how much money their parents paid. And Ludwig didn't want to be split from his brother. Not really… (not that he wasn't already, what with Ludwig on the top floor and Gilbert near the bottom).

Ludwig turned on his bed and looked up, at the bed above him. Bunk beds. On the very top floor, there was only room for two rooms. In one room there was room for one bed, in the other, there was room for a bunk bed and a single bed. Feliciano slept on the top bunk, Ludwig on the bottom one. Kiku, now replaced by Arthur, slept in the single bed.

From the low, calm breathing, Ludwig knew that both Feliciano and Arthur were asleep. Ludwig sighed. Feliciano's mourning distressed him… But at least it didn't follow the Italian into his sleep. No, Feliciano wasn't burdened by anything in his sleep. In fact, Feliciano always slept peacefully at night, which was… Good. Ludwig didn't know much about death, and while he admitted he was very upset over the losses… Well, he couldn't say it was the same as losing a brother, particularly a _twin_ brother.

Despite Feliciano and Lovino only meeting each other at World Academy five or six years ago, the two had lived up to the name of twin siblings and had become very, very close. Ludwig couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose someone that was practically your other half_._ He certainly didn't expect somebody to sleep peacefully after that. Yet it seemed Feliciano disagreed with him. Every night, when Feliciano finally went to bed, he would put his head on the pillow and go out like a light. It was actually… Rather strange.

Ludwig had talked to Arthur and Kiku about it and both had agreed that Feliciano's behaviour was off. But then Arthur pointed out that it wasn't a bad thing. It was better that Feliciano could find peace in the land of sleep. As long as he didn't get addicted to sleeping. Ludwig commented that Feliciano might already be, what with the Italian constantly wanting to have a siesta… Kiku pointed out that Feliciano hadn't been begging for a siesta in a while…

Actually, that was also strange.

Ludwig groaned.

He was starting to question his friend's behaviour. He was obviously tired. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Arthur woke up. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. For crying out loud, Arthur enjoyed sharing a room with people for a change, but he was slowly starting to remember why he didn't like sharing rooms either. Every time someone left or entered the room, he woke up. Why was he such a light-sleeper?

He looked up at his alarm clock.

Three forty-eight.

Arthur looked up at the bunk beds opposite him, so he'd know who to moan at in his head as he drifted back to sleep. Feliciano wasn't in bed. Arthur sighed deeply. _OK_, he thought, closing his eyes, _I can't really be angry with him, not with that loss and all… Ugh, why did those two have to die in such a stupid way?_

His thoughts continued rambling, as he turned onto his side and tried to enter dreamland again. Luckily he couldn't fall asleep, because a bit later, he heard Ludwig get up and wander out. Arthur sighed and continued trying to sleep. He briefly woke up again when Feliciano returned, but after that, Arthur slept right through until morning.

* * *

"!"

The scream echoed through the stairwells and halls, as students left their dorms to go to their classes.

Arthur, Kiku and Feliciano, the latter still dressed in his pyjamas, rushed out of their dorms, to see what the scream was about. Upon reaching the stairs, they knew.

Ludwig was lying at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in his pyjamas.

The floor was red.

Ludwig was pale.

Ludwig was dead.

* * *

That had been the second death within a month. All the police had to say about it was that it, once again, was an accident. Ludwig had fallen down the stairs and gotten seriously injured in the process. He bled to death while unconscious, as was most likely. But rumours had spread from this. Some were sure that it was a bit too unlikely for Ludwig to die falling down the stairs... Especially since he was a relatively good gymnast...

Luckily, everyone had the brains not to mention these rumours to Feliciano or Gilbert, who had both gone from bad to worse. Even Francis, at seeing Gilbert's reaction, had snapped out of his mourning to try and help Gilbert. Again, it was a few weeks later. Now Kiku absolutely refused to go back to his room. He was in deep shock and didn't want to have to go to a bed each night that would painfully remind him that a very, very good friend of his was dead.

Unfortunately, Feliciano couldn't find somewhere else to sleep, so each night he and Arthur would enter the bedroom and be forced to see an empty bed.

Arthur sighed, massaging his growing headache. These rumours were becoming more and more outrageous and ridiculous as time passed. Luckily the rumours were slowly dying, since it had, after all, been a few weeks since… Ludwig's passing… Arthur sighed. He had liked Ludwig. He had been a sensible guy that helped keep a lid on nearly uncontrollable students.

Not to mention, the German, along with Kiku, helped him fix up the secret passages of the school.

The World Academy used to be a large castle, belonging to some guy called Graf Fuchs or something, until they eventually converted the castle into a school/college/university thing for the children of the rich and famous. The castle was enormous, with several main buildings and a few smaller ones around it. Its size was impractical for Graf Fuchs' servants, who had to run back and forth between buildings and simply couldn't get their chores done on time. Because of this, Graf Fuchs ordered for the secret passages to be built and so, the castle was riddled with plenty of them.

Practically no one knew about these, which meant that they were still secret passages. At first, not even Arthur knew about them, until he by chance found Graf Fuchs' diary in the library and read it. A particularly useful secret passage was a stairwell, which led to every floor in the boys' dorm. It started on the top floor and then, after passing each floor, led directly to the building's exit.

It saved time to use this stairwell, but it didn't change the fact that it was still exhausting to walk up and down these stairs every day. So, after Arthur had revealed the secret passages to Ludwig and Kiku, the two had helped him fix the secret passages up. The passage, which started at the top of the building and ended by the dorm's entrance, now had a built-in slide. Upward walks were still a pain, but at least going downwards was no problem…

Arthur sniffed. He tried not to think about the recently deceased. It always made him… Well… Arthur picked up a packet of tissues.

Anyway, never mind those rumours; the Brit could settle them later. He placed the rumour-control paperwork to one side, realising afterwards that it was the only paperwork he had left to do. _Hm… It's time for a break anyway._ he thought, getting out of his chair. He walked over to his private library, looking at a series of books on weird, supernatural or magical creatures.

He had bought them some time ago, but he still hadn't read a single one. He pulled out one of the books and sat down to read it. This one was about bodiless spirits, so ghosts or creatures which lacked a physical body in the "real" or physical world. One particular creature caught his eye while reading. It was called a Blood Spirit, although spirit was, according to his book, the wrong word for this creature.

After being born, Blood Spirits will seek out a human to bind itself to. Usually, Blood Spirits bind themselves to younger, undeveloped humans, so babies or toddlers, due to children's undeveloped sense of logic and therefore, gullibility. After being bound to someone, the creature will then reveal itself to the human as a being that only that person can see. Blood Spirits are, due to this, often mistaken as imaginary friends. Blood Spirits typically take on the form of their "host", the person it is bound to, with everything, but the colouring, looking identical to their host.

After six years, the Blood Spirit is fully developed and can become a physical being, if its host is willing to allow this. If the host decides to let the Blood Spirit become physical, the host will die (the Blood Spirit uses the host's life essence to become physical). Once in the physical world, Blood Spirit's will then live the lives that their host was meant to live, with the ghost of their host trapped in the Blood Spirit's dimension.

However, if the host decides not to let the Blood Spirit become physical, the Blood Spirit will remain in its realm and lose its connection to the host. Because of the destroyed bond, Blood Spirits will then recoil into a state similar to a coma, while they try to become self-sustaining. In this stage, the Blood Spirit will die, unless during the years it was connected to its host, somebody was killed by the Blood Spirit. If the Blood Spirit survives this stage, it can still become physical. After at least six years, the Blood Spirit can possess the body of its host once again, assuming it can find its host.

Using its host's body, the Blood Spirit can and must kill six humans (to make up for the six years it lost to its host). Through the deaths, a Blood Spirit will then become physical. After this, it is likely for the host to be killed by the Blood Spirit (Blood Spirits are very vengeful creatures).

Blood Spirits have the same lifespan as humans, but reaches full maturity after six years and will stop ageing in its twenties .

Arthur didn't know why he thought Blood Spirits were so… fascinating… But they were… He would have to look up more information on them later. There were also other similar creatures which caught his eye, such as Mirror Trappers or Deceit Seekers.

"Ve~ Arthur! There you are!" somebody suddenly said behind him. Arthur dropped his book on the floor, startled.

"Huh, Feliciano?" the Brit asked, hurriedly kicking the book underneath his desk. He had kept his interest in supernatural things secret for a long time. Now was _not_ the time to have himself rambled. Arthur then processed what the Italian had said.

"W-wait, you were looking for me?" he asked astounded. Feliciano smiled brightly.

"Of course! We're amici now, aren't we? We share a room and everything!"

"Uh..." Arthur stuttered, taken aback. He had very few friends. And for someone like Feliciano to so openly claim it... He didn't know how to react. "I-I suppose..." he muttered.

"Ve~!" Feliciano replied, happily.

"... So, uh... What- I mean, why were you looking for me?" Arthur inquired.

Feliciano paused and stared at the Brit blankly. _Oh bloody hell, don't tell me he's forgotten..._ Arthur thought, watching Feliciano look around the room with a rather confused expression.

"Huh... Wait, it'll come to me..." Feliciano muttered, rubbing the back of his head. Arthur resisted the urge to face-palm. Of course the Italian had forgotten. Then Feliciano lit up, once again.

"Ah, I remember! Ve~! Today I want to cook something for myself and Kiku! But uh... The kitchen in this building is locked again... And, well, you're the Student Council President, so I thought maybe you'd have the keys or could get them?"

Arthur stared blankly. Cooking. Arthur rarely got the chance to cook.

"Oh, uh... Sure, I can get them for you." Arthur said, clearing his head. "But, may I ask you something?"

"Hm? Sure!"

"C-could I help you cook? I mean, obviously it's so I can make sure you don't hurt yourself or anything! And I wouldn't be eating with you and Kiku, I'd obviously eat in the cafeteria again! ... By myself... Alone in my corner..."

Feliciano sighed. For a moment, Arthur could see how clearly the Italian didn't want his help. But to his surprise, Feliciano nodded anyway and enthusiastically replied "Sure! My Nono always said that an extra pair of hands can be useful in the kitchen!"

Arthur beamed. The Brit hadn't cooked in so long, he was going to enjoy this.

"I'll go get the keys quickly! I'll be right back!"

Feliciano nodded and left after Arthur.


	4. Chapter 3 - Salmonella

Feliciano had cooked up quite a good meal, despite Arthur helping him.

This was what Kiku had thought a few days ago, though he was now starting to doubt this. He felt sick. Really sick.

He hadn't thrown anything up, but he did have a fever and diarrhoea. He wasn't sure if it was food poisoning or not. Feliciano was the first to notice his weakened state, since the Italian, who had once again been late for school, had seen Kiku wandering out of the toilet, looking a bit like a grim reaper.

Kiku rolled over in his bed. He had had diarrhoea before. He had had fever before. But something that was new was cramps. He had never had those before. And they hurt so badly, he believed he knew how it felt like to have something trying to force its way out of your stomach...

He groaned.

On top of all that, he was thirsty.

He was _so_ thirsty... But he was unable to get any water. Feliciano had brought him a small bottle earlier that day, but it wasn't enough.

It was now empty.

_Stupid cramps..._ the Japanese boy thought, curling up. They were so painful now, he couldn't even get up! Luckily, the school day would be over soon.

He was just _so_ _thirsty_.

No one had come to look after him, of course. If you didn't go to the infirmary, you weren't so sick that you couldn't look after yourself.

But Kiku was that sick. He couldn't look after himself. Ever since the cramps had started, he felt like if he moved, he'd die.

He regretted not going to the infirmary immediately, however, he had had a good reason not to go.

He was afraid of the nurse. _Everyone_ was afraid of her. Even Berwald and Ivan, and those two were considered the scariest guys at World Academy (including the teachers).

Kiku would rather die than go to the infirmary, or so he would have said maybe yesterday or so. She was so tall and muscular and not _female._ She had humongous hands, a tattoo on her upper arm, was foul-mouthed and even had a _moustache. _To make things worse, her voice was so low and gruff, she could easily be mistaken as a man, which made her all the more scarier.

A lot of students gossiped about her, how she used to be a raper and paedophile, before the police caught her. She then escaped and changed her name. She fled to Switzerland, where she found work as a nurse.

No one had been really ill since the arrival of the nurse, but this was not because everyone only ever got mildly ill at World Academy.

It was because no one wanted to be under her care.

Ever.

But oh, Kiku would rather be under her care than no ones right now! The cramps were so unbearable! Even the earlier diarrhoea was nothing in comparison to this! If only he'd listen to Feliciano...

But the Italian usually only ever had bad advice and Kiku had been sure that he'd feel better soon, that it'd pass without the creepy nurse looking after him...

Kiku, in his sick state, smiled. Funny, how he and Ludwig seemed to nearly always do the opposite of whatever Feliciano said. He had never really noticed that before... Or maybe he was currently so delusional, that he believed that he and Ludwig always did the opposite of whatever Feliciano said... Yeah, that must be it.

Oh... Thirst... Would it kill somebody to get him a drink?

Kiku curled up even more. He felt so sick. Cold and hot at the same time. Pain from the lower abdomens, unbearable and uncomparable . Dry throat and chapped lips, begging for something, anything, to drink.

Pure Hell.

...

How long had he been ill? A few days... Maybe more?

No.. Couldn't be so many...

Or could it?

He felt so out of it, he couldn't keep track of time... He didn't even know what day it was!

... It was so cold...

And too hot!

... When Kiku had last gone to the toilet...

Was it him, or had it been a little red?

Of course it hadn't! He was currently, haha, delusional! Imagining redness where there was none!

So sick!

So thirsty!

So very thirsty...

... water...

_I'd do anything for all this to stop..._ he whimpered.

Hadn't Arthur said something about taking him to the infirmary a couple days ago?

Yes... But Kiku had insisted on not going...

Stupid nurse... Stupid thirst...

Heh...

Stupid him...

Kiku closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

"Hey Kiku, I don't care what you say any more, I think you really, _really_ need to go to the infirmary now, maybe even a hospital! We've been delaying this for far too long and _all_ of your friends agre-" Arthur cut himself short, when his eyes fell upon the Japanese boy.

He was sleeping quietly.

Arthur sighed and sat down next to Kiku, to wake him up.

"Kiku, wake up." Arthur said softly. "Come on, you need to go see a doct..."

Arthur paused.

Kiku wasn't warm.

At all.

"Uh..." Arthur stuttered. He shook his head. _Now, now Arthur, don't go jumping to any conclusions! _he thought, as he pulled back the duvet.

Kiku wasn't damp from sweating any more. He actually looked kind of... dry...

Didn't Feliciano say he'd make sure Kiku got enough fluids?

Arthur picked up Kiku's hand. It was cold and limp. He tested it for a pulse.

...

"... No..."

* * *

"... Are you sure that all those students have been... Murdered?" the head teacher asked, his voice trembling ever so slightly.

"Yes." someone else replied. "I will need to stop the usual school activities to investigate. With your permission, I would like to ground the students. Leaving school premises should be forbidden. Well, until further notice anyway."

Arthur leant closer to the wall.

He was so pleased with this secret passage. What were the chances that there'd be one behind the head's room? It wasn't just that, but Arthur could also hear them astonishingly well, despite there being a wall in the way.

Arthur rolled his eyes at the conversation. He still couldn't believe that they didn't know whether or not they were dealing with a string of accidents or murders!

Of course it was a string of murders! It was so painfully obvious! After all, what were the chances that an accidental death would occur every four weeks?

Very small, he should think! And besides that, something else wasn't adding up in those death cases.

After all, Ludwig had been a good gymnast, Antonio had been a good and sensible driver and Kiku had had a strong stomach.

The real question wasn't "Is there a murderer?" but "_Who_ is the murderer?" and what were those murderer's motives?

Arthur would need to gather information. Do a little investigation of his own.

He sighed and tried not to think of Kiku. Officially, Kiku had died of food poisoning, salmonella poisoning. He and Feliciano were the only ones who could have cooked a contaminated meal. And Arthur hadn't forced the Japanese boy to go to the infirmary. That just made things worse for the Brit.

Everything was pointing at Arthur, that he was to blame for Kiku's death.

Not only that, but the old rumours had sprung back to life with a vengeance. Everyone was talking, whispering behind each other's backs, pointing fingers!

And there was no one to hide it from this time round. Gilbert had been taken out of the school a few weeks ago. Feliciano had become inconsolable after Kiku's death and spent most of his time locked in his room. No one cared about how Arthur felt.

He sighed.

This... It was all becoming a little too much for him.

He missed the days when the worst thing on his mind was any recent prank by the Bad Touch Trio...

Arthur left the secret passage.

* * *

It was a few nights later. Arthur did _not _like what he had concluded from his personal investigation.

It looked like everything was pointing at Feliciano. While he couldn't prove that the Italian had anything to do with... Antonio and Lovino's deaths...

Arthur remembered the night Ludwig had died.

He remembered that Feliciano hadn't been in bed when Ludwig left the room.

There was only room for two rooms on the top floor, namely Arthur's and Feliciano's. Both had a bathroom, as all bedrooms did at World Academy, but there were no toilets in any of them.

The toilet room was, like at a normal school toilet room, shared by multiple people. Each floor had such a toilet room, every single one, but the top.

So Ludwig and Feliciano had to have seen each other while going to the toilet. And Feliciano would have waited for Ludwig, before going. The chances that Feliciano wouldn't wait for Ludwig and go back with him were near impossible.

Ludwig had also been a good gymnast. The chances of him not only falling down the stairs and seriously injuring himself, but also dying, were small.

The only way for those chances to become bigger, was if somebody unexpectedly pushed him down the stairs. And to make those chances even _bigger, _somebody that Ludwig knew would have had to have pushed him down the stairs, somebody Ludwig would have never suspected...

Feliciano, unfortunately, fit this role.

... But why would the Italian kill his best friend?

...

... Then there was also Kiku.

Kiku had a strong stomach and was healthy and fit. A little salmonella shouldn't have killed him, therefore, he must have had a large dose.

The only thing that could have been contaminated with a heavy dosage of salmonella was what he, Feliciano and Kiku had eaten a week, or so, ago. But the ingredients had all been fresh and Arthur had only been in charge of the salad. He'd also been the only one to eat the salad...

Besides that, if there _was_ such a heavy doses, wouldn't he and Feliciano have suffered from it too? Kiku had been the only one to suffer from any form of food poisoning, while Feliciano and Arthur remained untouched.

Feliciano was also the one responsible for looking after Kiku while he was ill. Feliciano had been the one that was supposed to be looking after him!

But Kiku had obviously never gotten enough to drink... And even if Feliciano _was_ a bit of a forgetful person, he wasn't so forgetful that he'd forget to look after one of his _best friends._

... But still...

No.

It couldn't be Feliciano.

_How_ could it be Feliciano?

Arthur was missing something...

Something big, something important...

Well, at least the Brit knew that the murderer, whether or not it was Feliciano, wouldn't strike again for another few nights. He still had some time to think it all through.

He leant back in his chair.

The Italian wasn't a psychopathic serial-killer.

So it just _couldn't_ be Feliciano.

So who was it?

Who could it be?

And what was their _motive_?

Wait... Feliciano couldn't be it... Unless...

Unless the Feliciano that he'd been talking to and listening to for the past few weeks had been... was not...

Unless it wasn't Feliciano at all!

Arthur frowned.

He had no proof for that or anything that would lead him to believe so. At all. Besides, nobody could possibly act exactly like Feliciano!

Actually, wait a minute...

... It _would_ make sense.

Feliciano...

When Antonio and Lovino had died, Feliciano had cried by day... But... he... He sometimes even smiled at night.

Feliciano had always managed to fall asleep without problem. Every night. Peaceful. Free of trouble. Almost... happily.

Arthur shook his head.

Wow, he felt tired. What time was it?

He looked at the clock on his desk.

Way past midnight... Oh dear, that was late... Arthur yawned and got out of his chair. He should go to his bedroom. He should go to the boys' dorm.

He should leave his office.

Arthur locked both office and school building and headed over to the Boys' dorm. Ugh, he had always been such a sleepy head.

He got into the correct building and slowly walked up the stairs, although, tonight he couldn't be bothered to take the short-cut. That was too much effort...

Well, it was actually less effort, but Arthur's brain wasn't working properly at the time. He was tired-

Hey. Wait.

_Did... Did I just see someone?_ Arthur thought. He was near the top floor, but he could have sworn he just saw someone go downstairs... Arthur walked down. Again, he saw someone. The person ran around a corner. Someone dressed in a school uniform. Someone dressed in a school uniform, way past midnight.

_Oh yeah, because _that's_ not suspicious._ Arthur thought, running after the other. He only managed to catch a glimpse of brown hair by the next turn.

"Hey you! Stop!" Arthur whispered harshly, not wanting to wake anybody up. But the person continued running.

"I said stop!" He said again, but this time at normal volume. But the other didn't stop running, so Arthur kept chasing.

However... By the next corner...

"Huh?" Arthur asked, looking around. No one in sight.

"... Where did he g-"

A sudden pain shot through his side.

"!"

A hand clamped his mouth shut, stopping him from screaming. Arthur's whole body tensed. He let out a pained groan.

"Ciao Arthur."

His blood went cold.

The Brit said nothing, though he was trying very, _very_ hard to ignore his pain. He tried struggling out of the other's grip, but the more he struggled, the sharper the pain grew.

"I noticed you suspecting me. The way you sometimes glare at me during lessons. Can't believe you figured it out. I thought I was innocent enough. Oh well, I suppose you really are that cynical. You're not really on my... personal hit list, but I don't want you getting in the way and stopping me from having my fun. So I'm afraid, I'm going to have to cut your life a little short. Any last words?"

Arthur started struggling again. The other laughed.

"I thought not! Good night Kirk-"

Arthur managed to pull the Italian's hand away from his mouth. He sucked in a deep breath.

_It hurts so much._

"... n..t... F...li..."

The other paused, trying to figure out what the Brit had said. He laughed.

"Hm? What? I can't hear you!"

"... Not... Feli...ah... no..."

Arthur felt the grip around his body tighten. It felt difficult to breathe.

"... Oh? So who am I then?" the other sneered. Arthur frowned. _Good question..._

He took in a deep breath.

"... Blo... Spi... it..."

The Not-Feli's grip immediately loosened. The knife was removed. Arthur felt relief, immediately falling to his knees. His side still hurt, but never quite as much as-

It came back, with a sharp jab, deeper than before. Arthur tried to scream in pain to get somebody's, _anybody's,_ attention, but the hand was clamped over his mouth. Again.

"So. You figured out more than I thought." the Not-Feli muttered, annoyed. "How did you know?"

"..." _Lucky guess..._ Arthur thought to himself, unable to speak. He chose to remain silent. This made the Not-Feli angry.

"Not going to tell? Oh well. I suppose it doesn't matter." The knife twisted. In his side.

"Sogni d'oro Arthur..."

Arthur's eyes widened, but he couldn't scream. All that escaped him was a muffled gasp.

The knife was abruptly pulled out and dug in again.

The Blood Spirit stopped holding him.

Arthur collapsed onto the floor.


	5. Chapter 4 - Stabbing

The hallway was silent, the Not-Feli's footsteps fading into silence.

Arthur groaned.

Despite what the Not-Feli thought, Arthur hadn't fallen into unconsciousness. Admittedly, he had been very shocked by the vicious attack, but it wasn't enough to make him faint. He may have never been a victim of severe stabbing before, but this wasn't the first time he had ever been seriously injured.

Arthur groaned.

He was so tired.

_... To your feet Kirkland..._ Arthur thought to himself, forcing himself to sit up. _... Look at the mess you've made on the floor!_

Blood covered the wooden floorboards. It was enough to be a frightening sight. Arthur looked around himself, sighing deeply.

_At least I'm leaning next to it... _he thought.

Arthur had had the great luck to get severely injured right next to the secret staircase with a built in slide, which lead to the entrance. The Brit had no chance in hell at catching up with the Not-Feli on foot. But if he slid the whole way down...

Well, what were the chances that would happen? Arthur groaned again, pain reminding him that he had other things to think about.

_... Get that knife out...!_

Arthur concentrated his thoughts. He looked at the knife nervously. It was still stuck in his side.

_Well... Here goes nothing... _he thought and grabbed the handle. Closing his eyes and biting into his sleeve, Arthur tore the blade out. He bit deep down into the sleeve, reaching the skin. His wrist was bleeding a little. Arthur cleaned the knife and looked it over. He could use this against the Not-Feli, sort of...

Well no, he couldn't.

If he inflicted harm on the Not-Feli, the real Feliciano would get hurt. _Talking of hurting..._

Arthur looked back at his wounded side. He needed to stop the bleeding. He could use his tie... No, that wasn't not long enough. Besides, he had to pressurise the wound as well. Arthur took off his jacket and rolled it up. He undid his tie and wrapped it around his torso, the jacket firmly tied to his waist. He was now more or less bandaged. At least, he wouldn't be losing blood so fast now.

The teen closed his eyes and massaged his forehead.

He had two options. He could either try to stop the Not-Feli or he could go and get some medical attention. Getting medical attention would mean that he would be looked after and helped. However, trying to stop the Not-Feli...

The Not-Feli had been dressed in complete school uniform, suggesting he was going to go outside. The only reason for that would be to either kill a girl or teacher. Considering that Blood Spirits like to kill people that were close to their host, the Not-Feli was probably after a girl. Elizaveta maybe? Feliciano had described her as his sister once...

So... Someone may die tonight, depending on Arthur's decision. He sighed. He knew he had to stop the Not-Feli. He was the only one who could. He was also the only one who knew how to.

Arthur opened the secret passage and got onto the slide. Knife in hand, he slid down, leaving a small, barely noticeable trail of blood behind him.

* * *

Luciano was quite impressed with Arthur. Too bad he had to kill the teen.

Then again, what other options had the Blood Spirit had? Kirkland had always posed a threat, especially since he had always been indirectly involved with the murders (well, apart from Antonio and Lovino's).

But how had Kirkland known who and what he was?

Shrugging it off, the mock-Italian jumped down the final steps. Tonight would be the first _real_ murder.

Until now, Luciano had carefully planned each and all murders, arranging them to look like accidents. But since the police were now involved and he was so close to achieving his goal, he might as well shed his mask of innocence. Have some fun, you know? Besides, Luciano wouldn't be the one carrying the blame. It would be Feliciano.

Luciano pushed the entrance door open. Naturally, it wasn't locked. It made the mock-Italian wonder how the students slept well at night with an unlocked front door. Silly students and teachers. They were obviously asking to die, with or without Luciano's help.

"Oi! Blood Spirit!" somebody suddenly yelled. Before he knew it, Luciano found himself being pushed to the ground, arms pinned down above his head and a knife gently pushed against his throat. Luciano looked up and stared right back into bright green eyes.

"You didn't really think I'd just let myself die without a half-decent fight, did you?" Arthur asked, smiling slightly. His glare intensified and he pushed harder against the throat, drawing some blood. Luciano didn't react.

"Oh. I see you're not bleeding yourself to death?"

"This is serious Blood Spirit. Where's Feliciano?"

"Where do you think idiota? In my home, my dimension. Don't you know?"

"I asked _whe__re_ he is! How to get to him! Tell me something I don't know." Arthur snapped.

"You can't get to him. To get to my home you'd have to let go of your physical body. And from what I understand, the only way for humans to do so by themselves is to die."

Arthur growled, his gaze intensifying.

"Hm. Go any deeper and you'll make quite some damage."

Arthur was quiet.

"Oh? So this is it? You're just gonna kill me?" Luciano asked. Arthur glared down at the Blood Spirit and released the pressure on Feliciano's throat slightly.

"I thought so. You know you can't hurt me without hurting bambino Feliciano." Luciano commented, smirking. It was a little creepy. The Not-Feli started to struggle, but the Brit reacted.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." he snapped.

"Or what? You'll kill me? I don't think you've got the guts to kill Felician-"

"But he won't die will he? He'll be trapped in your dimension, nothing more, nothing less. If I kill you that is. Oh. And you'll be dead. While I'd rather have Feliciano's body intact, I can afford to take my chances."

Luciano rolled his eyes.

"You make a good point Kirkland."

"Let Feliciano go or your life."

"No."

"Why _not?_!"

"Idiota. I'd never surrender to an inferior being like yourself. I'm so much more powerful than you-"

"But while in Feliciano's body you gain his strengths and weaknesses. All of them."

Luciano fell silent.

"I can beat Feliciano in a feat of strength any day. And right now, I have the upper hand. You can't move."

"Shut up."

"You couldn't hurt me if you _tried_. The fact that you trapped and then injured me earlier, was only because you got _lucky_."

"Shut up."

"You had to sneak around, carefully planning the murders. You couldn't let them appear deliberate. That'd be too risky. But that's not how Blood Spirits usually kill, is it?"

"Shut up."

"You may call me a stupid human, an inferior being, but to any other Blood Spirit, you're a runt!"

"I said. Shut up."

"That's assuming there _are_ any other Blood Spirits! Do you have any friends? I heard Blood Spirits like to team up in groups. But you're all _alone_. Either you're miles away from a friend... Or they're all avoiding you."

"I'm warning you human."

"But hey, we two would be alike then. Blood Spirits get very attached to people that are like them. So it can't be that they're avoiding you. You really must be all alone, with not another Blood Spirit nearby for miles and miles! Maybe you're the only one left of your kind!"

"Kirkland shut up!"

"Oh? Why? what will _you_ do? I can talk all night~" Arthur said curtly, smirking.

"I warned you Kirkland." Luciano growled.

Arthur didn't know what hit him. There was a bright flash of (purple?) light and suddenly he found himself being crushed against the wall, with all the air knocked out of him.

He felt like something was squeezing his throat tightly. He could barely breathe.

"_You never _were_ on my list. If you hadn't gotten involved, we could have avoided all this. You could have lived your pathetic miserable life and I could have continued killing all I liked. But for some reason, you decided to do something about it. This is your own fault. This is the consequence of standing up for others. _" Luciano hissed. Arthur choked. His eyes widened as his panic increased and he started struggling desperately.

Luciano rolled his eyes at Arthur's pathetic attempts to free himself.

"_You really think I'll let you die like_ this?"

Arthur's reply was another choke. Luciano laughed.

"_Silly, silly bambino, I wouldn't kill you like this! It'd be too merciful!"_

Arthur was then thrown against the other side of the wall. His vision briefly faded and he heard a snapping sound. He groaned and landed with a thud against the floor.

Shouldn't that throw have killed him? Arthur tiredly placed a hand over his beating heart.

Of course. He was subconsciously crying out to his little friends. They would be here soon. And they'd placed a protection spell on him. From what Arthur could feel, he guessed that Luciano knew he wouldn't break so easily any more.

This meant more pain for Arthur though.

Now that Arthur could see Luciano's true form properly, he could only stare in horror. Wasn't Luciano lacking two victims? How could the Blood Spirit already look so human? True, Luciano still looked a bit like a blurred phantom, but he also looked a lot like Feliciano. Too much in fact.

Luciano's purple eyes glowed in the darkened hallway.

"_So... That's how you knew about Blood Spirits. You have the Sight._" Luciano muttered, noticing that Arthur was still alive.

Thank Mirrors Arthur wasn't dead. Luciano noted to himself that he'd have to keep his anger in check, or else he'd shorten the life of his prey too quickly in future. And what was the fun in killing if you couldn't do it on one single person for _hours_?

"_Calling out to some pathetic fairies, are you? You'll be dead long before they reach you._" Luciano chuckled.

Arthur frowned and tried to get to his feet, but the Blood Spirit calmly strode over and pushed him down again. Arthur cried out in pain. He growled lowly, trying his best to ignore the stinging and aching sensations coming from everywhere.

"You'd think that, wouldn't you." he muttered after a while, somehow managing to sound a bit arrogant despite the situation.

"_What do you mean?_" Luciano asked, kicking the Brit. When Arthur didn't respond, he kicked him again. Arthur curled up. The Blood Spirit was kicking _his injured side,_ which had incidentally lost its bandaging and was bleeding quiet happily and freely.

His head was spinning.

"_Do you wish to answer?_" Luciano asked, again kicking the Brit. After recovering from the blow, Arthur finally was able to say "They live just outside the school."

At this, to Arthur's relief, Luciano frowned. This meant they really would arrive soon. Arthur laughed.

"_What's so funny?_" Luciano snapped, picking Arthur up off the floor with ease. Arthur didn't let himself get intimidated by this. He grinned cockily.

"Just that... You're not solid yet and... Ha... I suppose you haven't noticed or realised it yet, but you've rejected Feliciano's body-"

Luciano's eyes widened and he looked over to the Italian. Feliciano was unconscious, but slowly stirring.

"_... You're really not all that dumb."_ the Blood Spirit commented. He then rolled his eyes. "_But I think you've forgotten something_. _I only need one more kill and then I'll be fine._"

"One more...? But you've only killed four!"

"_See, you've forgotten to count the boy I killed when I was younger. A blonde boy, looked a lot like Ludwig._"

"... Th-that counts?" Arthur asked alarmed.

"_But of course. Your books don't know everything about everything. And quite often, information isn't entirely accurate._" Luciano purred. He threw Arthur to the floor. This time Arthur knew what the snapping sound was. His left arm had been rendered useless.

"_Guess what, I've decided to give you the honour of being my sixth kill! How does that sound to you? Aren't you happy?_" Luciano asked. Arthur backed away, trying not to let his fear show. Luciano slowly drew closer. Arthur felt his back touch the wall and he couldn't stop himself from shaking at the realisation that he couldn't back up any more. He placed his right hand over his beating heart, but then realised that he was in the OK zone. He smiled weakly.

"You'll have to get pass them first."

"... _What?_"

"My little friends."

Arthur didn't bother to watch his mythical, small friends force Luciano away from him. He knew that there was no way on Earth he would live to see tomorrow. The hospital was far too far away and the infirmary wouldn't be able to treat him properly. He crawled over to Feliciano.

"_Arthur, wait!"_ a small fairy cried out. "_Let me heal you_-"

"No, I want you to do something else. Go and destroy any evidence you can find that suggests Feliciano is guilty of the murders... If possible... Peg the blame to me."

"_... Arthur? What do you-_"

"Please. Do this for me. No questions."

The fairy paused and was completely confused. The concept of self-sacrifice was still a little alien to Arthur's fairies, no matter how often he had explained it to them. She eventually decided to fulfil his request, nodded and flew off. She hoped Arthur would be all right.

Arthur reached the Italian and paused for a moment to catch his breath. That had been utterly exhausting. And he had left a trail of blood behind him. Lovely. He turned his attention back to the Italian.

"Feliciano. Feliciano!" Arthur whispered, as the battle of fairies versus Blood Spirit went on in the background. Unfortunately for Arthur, the Blood Spirit was winning.

Feliciano woke up.

"Eep! Arthur? What happened to you?" Feliciano asked, coming face to face with a battered and blood-covered teen. Arthur shook his head.

"We have no time for that. You need to get away from here! Your Blood Spirit-"

"Who?"

"That guy!" Arthur waved in the Blood Spirit's general direction.

"Is that... Luciano?"

"Fine, you gave him a name. Feliciano, focus! Five people are dead and you will get the blame and go to jail for it if you don't leave now."

"Huh, what..."

The Italian was very confused. Understandable, seeing as he'd been trapped in another dimension for months now. Unfortunately, rather than processing what the Brit had said, Feliciano decided to examine what Arthur looked like.

"Arthur, you need help!" Feliciano announced, pointing at the left arm.

"No!" The Brit pulled away and glared at Feliciano. "You need to get away _now_." he then snapped. Feliciano shrank slightly, but remained focused on Arthur needing medical attention.

"But you're really hurt! If you don't get..." he tried to insist. Arthur quickly interrupted him.

"I'll be fine! Just _go_."

"But..."

"Feliciano, I'm going to die either way _anyway_, so _go_!"

Feliciano frowned.

"Isn't that more reason to-"

"I swear Vargas, if you don't go..."

The Italian finally decided to let the subject go and do as the Brit told him.

"I'm going to pack, but then I'm coming back for you." he said firmly.

Arthur waved him away.

Feliciano ran off, glancing back at Arthur now and then. A few tears ran down the Italian's face as he ran off.

Arthur sighed.

All right, Feliciano was going to be fine. Arthur turned his attention to the fight, in time to see Luciano kill the last fairy. The Blood Spirit then looked around, scanning the area. When he didn't see Feliciano anywhere, he grew angry.

His gaze fixed on Arthur, the only living soul left in the hallway.

"_That is it Kirkland. Now. You. Just. DIE."_

Arthur glowered.

"Sorry I ruined your revenge." were his last words.


	6. Epilogue

Alfred ran down the stairs. He was _so_ going to be in class before Arthur. It had taken a lot of self-discipline and hard work to get up so early, but he had finally done it! He was _so_ going to be in class before Arthur.

Then it wouldn't be the Student Council President saying "Say, aren't you running a little late?" It would be _Alfred_ saying it! This was going to be so awesome!

Alfred happily strode down the final steps, only to freeze once he actually saw what was going on on the bottom floor.

What were all those policemen and medics doing here...?

Alex Knöpfli, the school's janitor, heard Alfred coming down the stairs and turned to him. The teen was utterly confused and bewildered. Upon making eye contact with the friendly janitor, he snapped out of his stupor though and walked over.

"What's going on? What's with all these guys?" he asked, waving at the unusual sight.

"Wait-" Knöpfli said, motioning for Alfred to stay back, but it was already too late. Alfred saw the damage on the walls and floor and... He had arrived just in time to see Arthur Kirkland's face disappear inside a body bag.

Alfred watched in shock.

The Janitor was silent too, however it was mostly because he didn't know what to say. Eventually, he placed a hand on Alfred's shoulder and said "... I didn't realise anyone would be up so early. I'm sorry."

Alfred simply stared blankly at the body bag. His mind was still processing what he had just seen.

_... He can't be dead..._ his thoughts trailed.

* * *

"Where are you going?" the woman asked, looking at the Italian curiously.

"... Paris." Feliciano replied.

"I'm sorry, I can only take you as far as Basel."

"I can connect to a train from there. That's fine."

"Oh. Well then, if you like, hop in. It'll be a few hours drive" the woman replied, smiling.

"Thank you." he said happily and got in.

"So what's your story?" she asked, as she pulled into the highway.

"I'm hitch-hiking. I've always wanted to go and see Paris." Feliciano replied, smiling brightly. The woman smiled back.

"... But why hitch-hiking? I mean, not to be rude, but hitch-hiking isn't the best form of travel."

"Well, I always thought hitch-hiking would be fun. And you've got to do it at least once in your life, form valuable memories and stuff like that. Besides, Switzerland's one of the safest countries in the world, so I thought this would be the best place to hitch-hike in. "

"Huh. I suppose I didn't think of it like that. Well, I'm glad you're making valuable memories."

"I think this is awfully exciting." Feliciano beamed. The woman smiled softly. She wasn't able to see through Feliciano's façade. He happily chattered away, as she drove from French-speaking Switzerland into German-speaking Switzerland.

She remained unaware that Feliciano wasn't really as happy as he currently appeared. Or that he was uttering lies most of the time. She was content with the idea of an enthusiastic teen, travelling to Paris by himself via curious means.

Eventually, Feliciano silenced, not that she noticed. She was too concentrated on avoiding traffic and making sure that she didn't get lost. Feliciano looked out the window, staring at the trees as they drove on.

"Ah, what's your name? I never asked. I'm Carmen."

"Feliciano." he replied smiling.

"Oh, that's a nice name! What does it mean?"

"It has three meanings, namely happy, fortunate and lucky."

"Well, that's a good name for you, considering how happy you are!"

"Ha, yeah..."

"Oh, sorry, I need to concentrate on driving again."

"No, it's fine."

Silence settled down in the car once again. Feliciano returned to staring out the window.

He wasn't lying when he said he'd go back for Arthur that night. Sure, the Brit might be dead(though Feliciano was sure that the Brit had not only been exaggerating, but also lying), but Luciano was still out there, probably killing people. He needed to go back and make it all up to Arthur, for leaving him alone with the... What did Arthur call it? Oh yes, Blood Spirit.

Feliciano sighed.

He wished he'd at least gotten a chance to see Lovino, Kiku and Ludwig again before leaving. It was actually strange that Kiku and Ludwig hadn't been in bed when Feliciano went to pack. Maybe they'd been to the toilet? Either way, they hadn't been there.

He sighed silently, as his eyes focused on the blue skies above him. He sure hoped he'd see them again one day.

* * *

"_...as well as Feliciano Vargas missing. There is evidence that he may be the murderer, however, interviewed students protested this idea and some evidence points at Kirkland. At the moment, it is unknown if Vargas is innocent and missing because he was kidnapped or guilty and missing because he is on the run..._"

Gilbert watched the news, his face blank.

Feli... missing?

He was still processing the thought that _Kirkland, _of all people, was dead. The idea didn't sit well with him. Who would he pester and prank now? No, Arthur couldn't be dead. The just wasn't the type to die young. He was more like the type to become really, really old. Arthur _should_ have become really, really old.

Gilbert stopped thinking about Kirkland.

Why was Feli missing? On one hand, he wanted the Italian to be OK, but on the other hand that would mean that the Italian was on the run... But Feliciano was no murderer.

He placed another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

This was just... Not sitting well with him.

In fact, a lot of things weren't sitting well with him lately.

He sighed, but then jolted when a sound rang, suspiciously similar to an alarm clock.

In the end, it was his phone, not an alarm clock, which was announcing that he had received an SMS. He pulled it out to read and became very, very confused.

_Feliciano is innocent. Help him. -LV_

_He's headed to Paris. -AFC_

_Be there for him. For me. -LB_

_Look after him and don't tell him what happened. -KH_

_Look up Blood Spirits. -AK_

_Sent from: Unknown_

* * *

**All Chapters (so NOT INCLUDING epilogue or prologue) were written from the POV of whoever was going to die (hint hint).  
**

**Carmen is fem!Spain.  
**

**Luciano is 2p!Italy (or meant to be... some people use Luciano as 2p!Romano's human name).**

**Blood Spirit (c) Super Sister (I invented them for the sole purpose of this fanfiction :P)**

**Bad Pasta is a reference to Italy's love for pasta and how he hates it if it's done badly, a reference to 2p!Italy, as in how he is "bad" pasta in comparison to his "good" counterpart, and also a reference to Creepypasta. ;P**

**Thank you for reviewing! I truly appreciated them and some made me grin evilly- uh, I mean smile happily.**

**Thank you for reading this fanfiction this far! I hope you enjoyed it.**


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